Gibb, Rosenthal Weather Rainy Olympic Match

BEIJING (Aug. 10) – Bathing suits were more than appropriate attire on Sunday at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground as rain poured down and the U.S. men’s team of Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) defeated Netherland’s 18th-seeded Emiel Boersma and Bram Ronnes, 21-16, 21-15, in 37 minutes to win its first Olympic pool play match.

Gibb and Rosenthal, seeded seventh, will play their second pool-play match on Tuesday, Aug. 12 against Germany’s sixth-seeded Julius Brink and Christoph Dieckmann.

Gibb said the rain did not spoil his first match in Beijing.

“I didn’t feel it,” he said. “It just doesn’t matter what conditions we were playing in. It was our first Olympic match and we loved it.”

However, he admitted the weather provided challenges.

“I looked up and the rain was pinching my eyes, so it was hard to see the ball. When you hit the ball, it slips through your hands. And you have to bump set more.”

Rosenthal was credited with 12 kills and 10 digs. Gibb had 15 kills, three blocks and four digs.

The team also took advantage of 12 errors committed by Boersma and Ronnes, who had a total of four digs and two blocks between them.

After six days of pool play, the Beijing 2008 Olympic beach volleyball competition will feature the men’s and women’s 16-team elimination brackets starting Friday (Aug. 15). The women’s medal matches will be played Aug. 21 and the men’s final two contests will be held Aug. 22.